Daric Barton – Inside the A'shttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics
An extra look at the Oakland AthleticsThu, 15 Sep 2016 21:29:29 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3Alonso completes long trip from Cuba to Oaklandhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2016/03/02/alonso-completes-long-trip-from-cuba-to-oakland/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2016/03/02/alonso-completes-long-trip-from-cuba-to-oakland/#respondWed, 02 Mar 2016 22:05:24 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=12769Yonder Alonso was 10 when he and his younger sister, Yainee, were uprooted from their home in Cuba and brought with their parents to live in the United States. Their father, Luis, had been a catcher for Havana’s Industriales of… Continue Reading →

Cuban-born Yonder Alonso will get his first start at first base for A’s Thursday in Cactus League opener against Angels in Tempe, Ariz.

Yonder Alonso was 10 when he and his younger sister, Yainee, were uprooted from their home in Cuba and brought with their parents to live in the United States.

Their father, Luis, had been a catcher for Havana’s Industriales of Serie Nacional, then coached after an arm injury curtailed his time as a player. He and his wife, Damarys, made the difficult decision to leave the past behind and head for Florida and new opportunities.

“We were leaving everything behind,’’ Alonso said Wednesday in the A’s spring training camp, of what was a scary time.

It turned out they brought one thing with them. Baseball. Yonder had been a bat boy for Industriales thanks to his dad and had developed a passion for baseball together with a certain skill. He was able to nurture that passion and skill in Florida playing baseball at Coral Gables High and later at the University of Miami, where he was teammates with A’s third baseman Danny Valencia.

“I’ve been around baseball in one way or another my whole life,’’ Alonso said. “In Cuba I’d follow my dad around in all his games when I wasn’t playing. Danny and I were on the same traveling high school team and played together in college. Almost the first thing I thought of when I learned on Dec. 4 that I was coming to Oakland that we’d have a chance to play together again.’’

Yaniee has roots in baseball nearly as deep. She met current Orioles third baseman Manny Machado through her brother; Machado is now Alonso’s brother-in-law. Baseball runs deep in this family.

The trade that sent Drew Pomeranz to the Padres with Alonso coming to Oakland came just a week before Alonso’s fiancée, Amber Hatman, gave birth to the couple’s first son, Troy. Between the preparations for the baby and the preparations to head to a new team “it was a crazy week,’’ he said.

Parenting is a new experience. Crazy happens. Professionally, however, things are about to get a lot less crazy. The Cactus League starts Friday, and Alonso will be back in his natural element from his 5:30 a.m. wakeup call to when it’s time to call it a day about 9 p.m.

“I’m really looking forward to this, getting out, playing with the guys and starting it all up,’’ Alonso said. “I’ve always been a fan of the way Oakland does things with statistics and metrics, and I think that fits a lot of what I do.

“Now we’re going to go out and the pitcher is going to have a different uniform, they’ll be an umpire and we’ll see what happens. It’ll be pretty gnarly to see this team come together.’’

And playing with Valencia again?

“I can’t wait,’’ he said.

Valencia said he was excited from the moment he learned that Alonso was coming aboard in Oakland.

“We had a good team playing on that traveling high school team in Miami, and then later in college,’’ he said. “This is going to be a lot of fun.’’

NOTES

–The A’s announced that all players on the roster have agreed to contract terms for the 2016 season.

–Manager Bob Melvin has made arrangements for the Bob Welch memorial bench at Fitch Park to migrate over to Hohokam Park for the Cactus League. He’s done his daily pre- and post-workout media sessions from it this spring and likes the thought of having the bench honoring 1990 Cy Young Award winner Welch, who died in 2014, as part of the Hohokam package.

–Kendall Graveman thought he was done after getting the third out of the second (and final) inning of Wednesday’s simulated game. Instead, pitching coach Curt Young had him throw to one extra batter. “That really means something to me,’’ Graveman said. “I’m trying to limit myself to 15 pitches an inning so that I can go into the 6th, 7th, 8th and save the bullpen more than I have. To keep the count down low the first time out is a real good thing.’’

–Stephen Vogt’s recovery from elbow surgery continues to be ahead of schedule. Trainers have cleared him to at least DH sometime in the first week of Cactus League games. The catcher was due to get into games in the second week and wasn’t pushing Melvin to get in there soon, but his quick recovery has moved up the timetable. He served as a DH in the simulated game.

–Jesse Hahn threw 30 pitches in two innings’ worth of simulated game and now he and Graveman will get four days off before pitching against Kansas City Monday. Of those pitches, six were curves, a pitch Hahn wants to feature more in 2016. “I bounced two in the dirt,’’ Hahn said, “but the other four were sharp and right where I wanted them. That and the changeup were very encouraging.’’

–Catcher Josh Phegley, recovering from flu and a sore shoulder, is likely to get his first start Saturday.

–Former A’s first baseman Daric Barton dropped by Wednesday to say hi and mix a bit with some of his former compadres. Traveling with Barton were his two awesome pit bulls, Tank and Bane, the latter named for the Batman villain.

–Melvin is full of praise for shortstop Marcus Semien, saying “he’s in a good place, especially mentally.’’ “There are days when (infield coach) Ron Washington raves about him like he was a quarterback when the ball never hits the ground. He’s had several days where the ball has never hit the ground.’’

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2016/03/02/alonso-completes-long-trip-from-cuba-to-oakland/feed/0Yonder AlonsoCuban-born Yonder Alonso will get his first start at first base for A's Thursday in Cactus League opener against Angels in Tempe, Ariz.A’s look at Viciedo after taking Hassan in waiver claim; Butler/Reddick team wins Friday’s situational hitting trophy; Crisp enters ditigal age with Coco’s Fro Patrol app for iPhonehttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2015/02/27/as-look-at-viciedo-after-taking-hassan-in-waiver-claim-butlerreddick-team-wins-fridays-situational-hitting-trophy-crisp-enters-ditigal-age-with-cocos-fro-patrol-app-for-iphone/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2015/02/27/as-look-at-viciedo-after-taking-hassan-in-waiver-claim-butlerreddick-team-wins-fridays-situational-hitting-trophy-crisp-enters-ditigal-age-with-cocos-fro-patrol-app-for-iphone/#respondSat, 28 Feb 2015 00:30:41 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=10459It seems that the A’s are in the market for a little more pop in the person of outfielder/third baseman Dayan Viciedo. That’s the word from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, two days after the Chicago White Sox signed infielder Gordon… Continue Reading →

It seems that the A’s are in the market for a little more pop in the person of outfielder/third baseman Dayan Viciedo.

That’s the word from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, two days after the Chicago White Sox signed infielder Gordon Beckham and designated Viciedo for assignment. Chicago has 10 days to trade or release Viciedo.

Going after Viciedo makes a bit of sense from the A’s point of view. He hit 21 homers for the Sox last year and 25 three years ago. Oakland is in a bit of a power vacuum with the losses over the last seven months of Brandon Moss, Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes.

Vicideo, a right-handed hitter, could fill in as the left fielder over the current pairing of Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry, but the A’s defense would take a hit. And the offense would, too, because Viciedo doesn’t walk much and his .294 on-base percentage over the last three years offsets the 60 homers he’s hit in that spell.

But he is young, just 25, so he seems to have some upside the A’s find appealing. The Blue Jays reportedly also have some interest.

Earlier in the day Oakland did make a roster claim, adding outfielder Alex Hassan from the Orioles and put Griffin on the 60-day disabled list to make room.

The A’s had claimed Hassan from the Red Sox on Nov. 17, but lost him to a claim from Baltimore about a week later.

Hassan, who made his big league debut with the Sox last year by going 1-for-8, hit .287 with a .378 on-base percentage at Triple-A last year. He also had a .326 slugging percentage.

–The A’s had an atypical day Friday, skipping batters vs. pitchers and closing out with a situational hitting.

The win went to a team led by Billy Butler and Josh Reddick, the winners walking off Field 1 at Fitch Park with a trophy of sorts – a coffee maker and an MC Hammer bobblehead cobbled together by minor league hitting coordinator Greg Sparks.

Butler put the trophy above his locker after the workout.

“We struggled in situational hitting last year,’’ manager Bob Melvin said. He said that Ike Davis was “perfect when I saw him,’’ and added that Butler, Reddick, Fuld and Gentry all had good days.

“That’s something I can do,’’ Davis said. “You give up some outs, and that hurts your batting average, but it’s OK as long as it helps the team.’’

–Coco Crisp took a step into the digital world Thursday night, launching a game app for iPhones call Coco’s Fro Patrol.

The idea is to catch as many fly balls in the outfield as possible while dodging obstacles including gum and trash cans.

He got 150-plus viewers overnight, including former A’s first baseman Daric Barton, who ranks third on the early leaderboard. Crisp is first; his mother ranked fifth early in the day Friday.

“I could have launched it last year, but I wanted to make it as perfect as possible,’’ Crisp said. The concept was his, although he needed the help of web designers to get the program off the ground. “I know there will be some people who will find little faults with it, but it’s starting in a good place.’’

The game is free, although there is the possibility of expenditures depending on how fast and how deep into the game a player wants to get. The player gets one free “umpire’’ per day, while more can be purchased.

Crisp is a longtime gamer who has been trying to pick up college-level programing classes the last couple of years.

Some of his A’s teammates, who learned about the launch Thursday and Friday, were experimenting with it Friday morning.

–Saturday and Sunday see the A’s scheduled for back-to-back intrasquad games, but there is a good chance of rain, particularly on Sunday.

–Jarrod Parker, A.J. Griffin and Raul Alcantara threw bullpen sessions Friday while the rest of the staff took the day off from bullpens. All three seemed to come through the process well, although Griffin has a bruise on his left (non-throwing wrist).

–Jason Pridie, the only non-roster outfielder in camp before Hassan was claimed Friday, figures to get plenty of spring starts with the A’s looking to have Coco Crisp ease slowly into playing shape. Oakland figures Crisp only needs a couple of nine-inning games to be ready for the season. Also likely to get outfield time are infielders Tyler Ladendorf, Alden Carrithers, Matt Olson and Andy Parrino.

–The A’s signed a new four-year radio deal with 95. FM The Game that will see the A’s games broadcast there through the 2018 season. The A’s have been on 95.7 since 2011.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2015/02/27/as-look-at-viciedo-after-taking-hassan-in-waiver-claim-butlerreddick-team-wins-fridays-situational-hitting-trophy-crisp-enters-ditigal-age-with-cocos-fro-patrol-app-for-iphone/feed/0/METROA's Billy Butler, left, and Josh Reddick walk off the field with winning trophy from today's situational hitting competition (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)Will acquisition of Blanks cut into Moss’s playing time?http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/15/will-acquisition-of-blanks-cut-into-mosss-playing-time/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/15/will-acquisition-of-blanks-cut-into-mosss-playing-time/#respondFri, 16 May 2014 05:12:52 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8687The A’s tried going to battle with two left-handed first basemen. Now they are trying it with one left-hander and one right-hander. Kyle Blanks joins the A’s Friday in Cleveland as the right-handed hitting first baseman, joining Brandon Moss, the… Continue Reading →

Brandon Moss has been playing almost daily; will that continue with acquisition of Kyle Blanks?

The A’s tried going to battle with two left-handed first basemen.

Now they are trying it with one left-hander and one right-hander.

Kyle Blanks joins the A’s Friday in Cleveland as the right-handed hitting first baseman, joining Brandon Moss, the lefty. Daric Barton, the other lefty at the season’s start, has been designated for assignment to make room for Blanks.

It never seemed to make much sense to outsiders to have both Moss and Barton on the roster at the same time unless one was going to be the DH and one was going to be the first basemen and both were going to play against both left-handed pitchers as well as right-handers.

That’s just how the roster as constituted on March 31 would work best.

It turned out it was tough for manager Bob Melvin to get both of them into the lineup at the same time, not when Melvin needed the DH role for other things and when Barton was off to a bad start both offensively and defensively.

In the first week of the season alone, while Moss was supposed to be the DH and Barton the first baseman, Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes both got a shot at the DH.

Since then, so has everybody else. Seven different players have been used as the designated hitter.

Now the A’s have a new look. Moss, who has the fourth-best RBI total in the American League (33) despite not starting every day, would seem to need to be in the lineup every day. He’s hit left-handers pretty well (.320), much better than he’s hit right-handers (.270) as it happens, although most of his homers and RBIs have come as a right-hander.

Blanks, who has some power but who has yet to have much success in the big leagues, could perhaps find himself the way that Nate Freiman found himself last year, hitting up a storm (.304, four homers) while facing almost exclusively left-handed pitchers. Freiman is in the minor leagues this year as much to make up for the lack of at-bats against right-handed pitchers he had last year.

Blanks’ arrival, while obviously taking complete playing time away from Barton, also figures to take playing time away from Moss. Moss was playing first base over Barton of late, but there is at least a possibility that will go away with Blanks’ arrival.

General manager Billy Beane, asked about it Wednesday, indicated the platoon system wasn’t going away any time soon.

“We are trying to create the best matchup situations we can,’’ Beane said. “That’s why we’ve been successful. (The platoon system) is one of the main reasons we’ve won. There’s no reason to stop, but it will obviously be on a game-by-game basis.’’

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/15/will-acquisition-of-blanks-cut-into-mosss-playing-time/feed/0OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS. TEXAS RANGERSBrandon Moss has been playing almost daily; will that continue with acquisition of Kyle Blanks?A’s finding less and less playing time for Daric Bartonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/04/as-finding-less-and-less-playing-time-for-daric-barton/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/04/as-finding-less-and-less-playing-time-for-daric-barton/#respondSun, 04 May 2014 18:54:48 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8556Is this the beginning of the end for Daric Barton as a regular contributor to the A’s? Sunday’s game marked the fifth day in succession when A’s manager Bob Melvin put out a lineup that didn’t have Barton’s name in… Continue Reading →

Is this the beginning of the end for Daric Barton as a regular contributor to the A’s?

Sunday’s game marked the fifth day in succession when A’s manager Bob Melvin put out a lineup that didn’t have Barton’s name in it. On the 10-day road trip, Barton made only three starts at first base.

And if there was a game where Barton figured to play, this was the one. The Red Sox started John Lackey, against whom Barton has both experience (27 at-bats) and success (a .333 batting average). Three other members of the roster have better averages against Lackey, but no one has more hits (nine).

Barton and Brandon Moss, also a left-handed hitting first baseman, both made the roster out of spring training. The idea was that Barton would play first base and Moss would be the primary DH and both would sit against left-handed starting pitching.

It started that way, but it didn’t last long. Barton got off to a 2-for-26 (.077) start, each at-bat making it more difficult for the A’s to keep him in there when Alberto Callaspo was off to a hot start.

Things improved at the plate for Barton when he went on a 5-for-16 (.311) stretch, but he’s hitless in his last six at-bats lately. And there’s just been less playing time.

It didn’t help Barton’s cause Sunday that Lackey gave the A’s good reason to find a way to get one of their hottest hitters, right-handed catcher Derek Norris, in the lineup. Right-handers came into the game average .300 against Lackey while lefties were only at .242.

With Norris hot (his .367 batting average is the best in the big leagues for anyone with more than 60 plate appearances) and Barton not, it made for an easy call.

It also hasn’t helped that Barton, generally an above-average player defensively, has already made three errors in his limited playing time and hasn’t looked at the top of his game defensively.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/05/04/as-finding-less-and-less-playing-time-for-daric-barton/feed/0ssjm0221asDaric Baton has seen his playing time fall off in the last week.Even after being Reddicked, Josh has a good nighthttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/28/even-after-being-reddicked-josh-has-a-good-night/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/28/even-after-being-reddicked-josh-has-a-good-night/#respondTue, 29 Apr 2014 04:47:38 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8468The Texas Rangers clearly had a target painted on Josh Reddick. They know the A’s right fielder as an aggressive base runner. They tried to take advantage of that, catcher Robinson Chirinos repeatedly throwing behind him at first base in… Continue Reading →

They know the A’s right fielder as an aggressive base runner. They tried to take advantage of that, catcher Robinson Chirinos repeatedly throwing behind him at first base in an effort to pick him off.

It didn’t work, although it was close enough that in the eighth inning the umpires had to have a video review to determine if Reddick was out or had been tagged by first baseman Prince Fielder.

“They were treating me like I was Coco (Crisp),” Reddick said through a grin, referring to the A’s top base runner.

Later in the inning, center fielder Leonys Martin climbed the wall in right-center to bring back Daric Barton’s bid for a home run. Martin then threw to first base. Reddick, already past second base, raced back to first and beat the tag.

Or at least he did until there was another umpires’ review on this one, Reddick was called out.

The A’s like to use Reddick’s last name as a verb to describe particularly brilliant top-of-the-wall plays in the outfield. You may recalled in spring training, the Giants’ Mike Morse was “Reddicked’’ twice in one Cactus League game by Reddick, both times forcing his glove and much of his upper body above the wall to bring the ball back.

“I was telling Curt (Young, the pitching coach) that I got Reddicked,’’ Reddick said. “It’s not so good to be on the other side.’’

Even so, it was a good day for the right fielder. He came into his fourth-inning at-bat 1-for-17 against Texas ace Yu Darvish and crushed a triple into the right field corner. He came up with two more hits later in the game and after a 4-for-41 start to the season, he’s on a tear and has his average up to .250.

“He had really good swings against Darvish,’’ Melvin said. “And we haven’t always seen that. But he’s swinging good now.’’

Reddick talked less about his own success and more about the team’s success against Darvish, who is now 1-7 with a 4.73 ERA lifetime against the A’s, the last seven losses coming in succession.

“My guess is that we are that one team he struggles against,’’ Reddick said. “Everybody has one of those. Against the rest of the league it seems like he strikes out 12 to 15 a game.’’

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/28/even-after-being-reddicked-josh-has-a-good-night/feed/0Josh_Reddick_April_2014The absence of Josh Reddick has been difficult for the A's to cover.Hamstring strain to keep Cespedes out for a few gameshttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/24/hamstring-strain-to-keep-cespedes-out-for-a-few-games/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/24/hamstring-strain-to-keep-cespedes-out-for-a-few-games/#respondFri, 25 Apr 2014 05:20:40 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8393The A’s are going to miss Yoenis Cespedes for a couple of games, at least. And given that his injury is a strained left hamstring, they will consider themselves lucky if he doesn’t wind up on the disabled list. Cespedes… Continue Reading →

The A’s are going to miss Yoenis Cespedes for a couple of games, at least.

And given that his injury is a strained left hamstring, they will consider themselves lucky if he doesn’t wind up on the disabled list.

Cespedes can make it down the line very quickly; he has great natural speed. His hamstrings take the wear and tear of quick stops and starts, however, and if the injury is anything more than the mildest of hamstring problems, they may feel it is best to err on the side of sitting him for 15 days to make sure he’s healthy when he returns.

For now, Brandon Moss will play left field Friday with Daric Barton at first base against the Astros’ right-handed Brad Peacock.

Come Saturday, when lefty Dallas Keuchel is on the mound, look for the right-handed Craig Gentry to play in left with the near certainty that the A’s will have to stick two left-handed hitters in the lineup – probably Moss at first base and Josh Reddick in right field.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/24/hamstring-strain-to-keep-cespedes-out-for-a-few-games/feed/0Yoenis CespedesYoenis Cespedes is heading to Boston after big trade deadline deal Thursday.Barton convinced ninth inning call wouldn’t be alteredhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/14/barton-sogard-sure-ninth-inning-call-wouldnt-be-altered/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/14/barton-sogard-sure-ninth-inning-call-wouldnt-be-altered/#respondTue, 15 Apr 2014 06:37:51 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8286Daric Barton couldn’t see the play at first base in the ninth inning. He could feel it, though, and that was good enough for him. Moments after John Jaso’s homer put the A’s in position to score a 3-2 win… Continue Reading →

Moments after John Jaso’s homer put the A’s in position to score a 3-2 win over the Angels, Oakland reliever Luke Gregerson came out of the bullpen and got two quick ground balls.

The first one was routine. The second was bobbled at second base by Nick Punto, who quickly regrouped and fired a throw to Barton. Umpire Chris Segal called base runner Howie Kendrick out, and the Angels howled.

Barton said he knew they didn’t have much of a case, even without seeing the play, or a replay.

“I could feel the ball hit my glove before I felt him hit the bag,’’ Barton said. “For me there was no question. It was an out.

“The one thing though was that I hadn’t closed my glove around the ball, and the angle of the replay usually doesn’t show that. But I knew we had the out.’’

It didn’t hurt that A’s catcher Derek Norris had been called out on a similar play at first base in the fourth inning. That was the last play of the inning, and close plays haven’t been getting overturned, so there was no challenge from the A’s.

“In that situation with Norris, I know they aren’t going to overturn it, so it wasn’t the time to challenge,’’ Melvin said. “In the ninth inning (Angels manager Mike Scioscia) had to challenge. Some challenges are going to be out of desperation.’’

That one was. It wouldn’t have been a close play ifPunto hadn’t bobbled the ball, but he didn’t panic. He grabbed the ball and threw it to first without trying to throw the speed of light.

He didn’t overdo it, and Barton felt good about the replay and review.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/14/barton-sogard-sure-ninth-inning-call-wouldnt-be-altered/feed/0ssjm0221asDaric Baton has seen his playing time fall off in the last week.Callaspo would rather be in the field, but he’s a force as DHhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/12/callaspo-would-rather-be-in-the-field-but-hes-a-force-as-dh/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/12/callaspo-would-rather-be-in-the-field-but-hes-a-force-as-dh/#respondSun, 13 Apr 2014 02:19:22 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8243Alberto Callaspo made his fifth start as the A’s designated hitter Saturday in Safeco Field. To say that’s a bid odd completely understates the case. Callaspo came into the season with 869 career big league games played, and in only… Continue Reading →

Alberto Callaspo made his fifth start as the A’s designated hitter Saturday in Safeco Field.

To say that’s a bid odd completely understates the case. Callaspo came into the season with 869 career big league games played, and in only 11 of them had he been the DH.

And the A’s knew who their DH was going to be – Brandon Moss, unless he was playing first base and the other first baseman, Daric Barton, got the call.

But Barton hasn’t hit, just two hits in 20 at-bats (.100), and so a one-game experiment last week that had Callaspo filling in at DH has turned into a full-time job, at least for the moment.

As manager Bob Melvin says, “right now, he’s our best hitter.’’

Callaspo came into Saturday with a .412 average as the DH and a .409 average overall. Then he doubled in his first at-bat.

“In other years, I might be the DH one or two times a season, so this is much different,’’ Callaspo said before Saturday’s game. “It was never like this year.’’

An infielder by trade, Callaspo is the A’s backup at second and third and, as a switch-hitter, is the club’s right-handed hitting first baseman when Oakland faces a left-handed starting pitching. None of this prepared him for his new role.

So he’s finding things out as he goes.

In between innings he goes to the batting cage and takes some swing to loosen up – but not too many.

“I’ll hit off a tee, but I don’t want my arms to get tired, so not more than five swings, maybe 10,’’ he said. “Just enough to keep loose.’’

Callaspo isn’t all that interested in pursuing DH duty as a regular thing. But as it seems to be in his immediate future, he’s trying to figure out what works for him.

“I want to be in the field,’’ he said. “I’ve told (Melvin) that he wants me anywhere in the field, I will play anywhere.’’

There will come a time when Callaspo will be in the field. Monday and Wednesday the A’s are scheduled to play left-handers when the visit the Angels in Anaheim. He’ll be at first base then. On Sunday and Tuesday, though, odds are he’ll be the DH.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/12/callaspo-would-rather-be-in-the-field-but-hes-a-force-as-dh/feed/0Alberto CallaspoAlberto Callaspo getting used to DH roleCallaspo’s bat says he should be playing much morehttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/07/callaspos-bat-says-he-should-be-playing-much-more/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/07/callaspos-bat-says-he-should-be-playing-much-more/#respondTue, 08 Apr 2014 01:06:23 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8186Alberto Callaspo hasn’t been starting every day for the A’s. Based on the way he’s hitting, he should be. Manager Bob Melvin said as much Monday when Callaspo had two more hits, including an RBI double, and raised his batting… Continue Reading →

Manager Bob Melvin said as much Monday when Callaspo had two more hits, including an RBI double, and raised his batting average to .444.

“Callaspo is a guy I need to get in there more often,’’ Melvin said. To this point the A’s have played seven games and Callaspo has only started three of them. But he’s hit, including getting the A’s first home of the season.

Callaspo feels much the same way, but as he’s quick to point out, he’s not the one who makes those decisions.

“I’d like to play (every day),’’ Callaspo said. “I’m trying to do my best to show them. I’m given them my best at-bats. I want to be out there.’’

Callaspo was the DH Monday with Brandon Moss at first base and Daric Barton on the bench. When the season starter Barton was supposed to be at first and Moss at DH, but Barton is off to a 1-for-14 start (.071) that is costing him playing.

“I want to be out there seven days (a week),’’ Callaspo said. “but it doesn’t depend on me. We’ll have to see what happens.’’

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/07/callaspos-bat-says-he-should-be-playing-much-more/feed/0`Let It Go’ from `Frozen’ is soundtrack of A’s first weekhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/03/let-it-go-from-frozen-is-soundtrack-of-as-first-week/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/2014/04/03/let-it-go-from-frozen-is-soundtrack-of-as-first-week/#respondFri, 04 Apr 2014 01:27:15 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/athletics/?p=8151There is always music going in the A’s clubhouse before a game, but this first week of the season it’s been a little odd. Or one thing, the usual hip-hop and rock has been replaced by old school rhythms dating… Continue Reading →

There is always music going in the A’s clubhouse before a game, but this first week of the season it’s been a little odd.

Or one thing, the usual hip-hop and rock has been replaced by old school rhythms dating back to the 70s, including Fleetwood Mac, which was at its peak when most of the members of the roster were busy being born.

But mixed into all of the old-ish tunes is the extremely current `Let It Go,’’ the song by Idina Menzel from the animated film “Frozen,’’ which given it’s pedigree as a song from a movie marketed to kids doesn’t seem like a song one would typically hear in the A’s clubhouse.

Guess again.

It’s in the music rotation every day, and with “Frozen’s’’ target audience is a bit younger than the A’s 20-someting average, so we asked about it.

“It is awesome,’’ first baseman Brandon Moss said. He’s seen the movie three times. “It’s very empowering. But I’d have to say it’s very un-us.’’

“It’s a good life lesson,’’ second baseman Eric Sogard said of the tune’s lyrics, which talks of putting the past behind, of ridding oneself of one’s fears and moving forward while the storm rages on.

Infielder Nick Punto doesn’t have a problem with the song, per se. But he is starting to burn out on it, nonetheless.

“We have two daughters,’’ he said. “That means I hear it maybe five times a day. And that’s before I get here and hear it again.’’

First baseman Daric Barton, who says he hasn’t seen the movie, said simply of the song’s popularity in the clubhouse, “I don’t get it.’’

The suggestion that the song was atypical for a Major League clubhouse struck reliever Sean Doolittle funny.

“Does this,’’ he said looking around the aging digs the A’s call home 81 games a year, “remind you of a normal clubhouse?’’

If you want to check out what the A’s have been listening to, you can click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk